CDC releases fact sheet for 2014 Ebola outbreak

Citing the 2014 Ebola outbreak as the largest in history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a fact sheet on the disease outlining how the organization is responding to the crisis.

To combat the first epidemic of Ebola in the world, the CDC is conducting its largest ever international outbreak response. The organization currently has more than 100 disease detectives in West Africa investigating emerging cases and identifying contacts to stop transmission. The CDC is supporting the establishment of national and sub-national emergency operations centers. All three West African countries at the forefront of the epidemic now have these centers operating.

In addition to operating labs in the region to test samples from those suspected to have contracted Ebola, the CDC is working with the Department of Defense to equip 12 labs across the United States with the capacity to test for the virus within hours.

With a history of combating Ebola in West Africa since 1976, the CDC has adapted methods over time to better handle the reality in the field. The organization is involved in groundbreaking practices, such as monitoring for changes in transmission or mutation patterns and whole genome sequencing and analysis.